Thursday, April 14, 2011

Volunteering

Alternate title: Quakers Love their Walls

I have always enjoyed volunteering my time for some project or other at my church, the local Quaker Meeting. As I have been in the building trades, my skills often put me right in the center of the action. A day with good friends, toiling toward a common goal makes for a pleasant time.
When the opportunity to help with the repair of a stone wall that surrounded the graveyard presented itself, I joined in.

Under the watchful eye of a talented stone mason, we mixed mortar and did our best to lay the field stones in some semblance of plumb and level. It took two half day shifts of eight people each, two consecutive Saturdays to complete a mere sixteen feet of wall. I gained a new, heartfelt respect for the ancestors who first built the wall (which extends several hundred feet).

Not that I was much help. We spread out the stones to more easily identify which might fit into the giant 3 dimensional jigsaw puzzle. I had problems navigating around the stony landscape. After tripping several times, I decided it was safer to stand at the corner and call out my level and plumb observations for the others. I’m good at level and plumb.

This is how I adapt to being the Parky in the room. I change to stay in the game, so that I can keep playing and contributing to the group.

About Me

In November 2008, Michael Spokane was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 52. In November 2010, he began writing about his experience with the disease in an effort to help himself and others.
Michael is interested in receiving and responding to your comments and feedback. Please feel free to join in.
Michael lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife. He has two grown children. He had a career in general contracting and finish carpentry and specialized in historic restoration.